Device for marking earthenware.



W. B. GRAY.

EARTHENWARE. APR-16.1914.

DEVICE- ron MARKING PL! ATION FILED Patented Oct. 19, 1915.

BYW

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

WILLIAM BEALL GRAY, or LoUIsvI Ln'KENTUoKY, ASSIGNOR To MARTIN J. BANNON,

or LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

' DEVICE FOR MARKING EARTI-IENWARE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM BEAL GRAY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Louisville, in the county of Jelferson and State of Kentucky, have made certain new and useful Improvements in De? vices for Marking Earthenware, of'which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement inmeans for marking earthen ware, especially of that character of earthen warewhich is formed in sections, and the sections are afterward separated from each other, for storage in diflerent places, or for use at different times, wherein each section of each entity is .provided with a series of numerals or other, distinguishing marks of a consecutive character, the said distinguishing marks being impressedon the various sections while the material of the sectionsis capable of taking and holding an impression, and arranged below the general level of. the surface ofthe sections, to prevent injury or breakage to the said distinguishing marks, the said distinguishing marks being adapted to be removed in such mannerthat the sections of each entirety will be readily identified.

In the drawings: Figure l is a perspective view of. an article composed of separable sections, and marked in accordance with the improved method, Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modified method of marking, Fig. 3 is a section on the-line 3-3 of Fig.4 looking in the direction ofthe arrows, Fig. 4 is an enlarged section onthe line 44 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a portion of a die for forming the marks, Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the result of impressing the same, and Fig. 7 is a front view of another series of marks. 7 p

In the preparation of earthenware articles, as for instance separable earthenware conduits of the character shown and described in my co-pending applications, Serial No. 723,206, filed September 30, 1912 (Patent No. 1,110,127), Serial No. 782,661, filed August 2, 1913, the upper of the half orportion of each section of the conduit is removed prior to the laying of the conduit, and the lower portions or halves are laid, after which the pipes to besupported are inserted or placed, and the upper halves Q1" P n f ses i esar hen, p ced n Specification of Letters Patent.

, tions ofthe sections thelower halves or portions and sealed to the-said lower halves or portions.

It will be evident that each upper half or Patented Oct. 19, 1915. Application filed April 16, 1914. Serial No. 832,225.

portion of each section of the conduit must be placed on the lower half or portion from which it was originally divided, otherwise the lines of fracture will not coincide, and there will be flaws in the joint between the portions of the sections. that frequently not only days but weeks will elapse between the laying of the lower halves of the portions of the conduit, and the laying of the upper halves or portions,

It is also a rule 7 and during that time the two portions of each'section are liable to injury and are subjected to usage, such that ordinary identifying marks, of chalk, paint, or the like, would be injured, defaced or entirely removed, and the result will be that an indefinite amount of experiment and fitting wouldbe necessary before the various porcould be properly assembled.

The present invention is designed to provide a certain infallible method of identifying the several portions of any article, in order, that there may be no difliculty what ever in identifying the missing portion.

In Fig. 1 is shown an article consisting of two portions or sections, the said portions or sections being designated A and B respectively. The article is provided with score lines C between the sections for permitting a chisel or the like to beinserted, to separate the sections or portions from each other.

The article shown is a sectionof pipe sup-' fracture this above-mentioned portion of the material. It is obvious that to secure a proper fit, and a water-tight joint, each upper section must be fitted to the lower section or half from which it was originally removed, and the scores are afterward filled with cementto seal thQ'SQCtlOIIS or portions 50 are removed from the portions of the said i For instance, eachha'lf of each length is provided with aseries of 7 together. section portion face a series of of the article is provided on its outersur face and preferably near one of the score linesywith a'rectangular depression D, the walls d being preferably beveled or inclined,

as shown. An "approximately plane surface 7 bottom of the dethe said plane sur face being preferably parallel with the long said plane sur-g is thus provided atthe pression, the long axis of aXis of the conduit. On the designating marks or char acters E are provided, the said designating marks or characters tothe height. of thewalls (Z of theasaid depression. That is the highest points of thesaid designating marks or characters are 7 being used in thetpresent instance.

below the general surface of the conduit.

Preferably the characters used are such as I follow a regular order,-and may be arranged numerals 1 to 0 consecutively, the reference Beforethe several sections or portions of :each

article, as forlinstance the upper and lower halves of a section of conduit, are separated, certain of the designating charactersare' removed, the same characters :or marks being thearticle. n V i i v The method of utilizing the'distinguishconvenience sections of pipe conduit will be i of thepipe, the top pieces or halves they will not be distributed along 7- length of conduit.

' pipe, or below the surface of the article, 7

' article.

removed from the two halves or portions of placed in the same. The upper halves of the pipe will probably lie for a fortnight b'e" fore use, and when they are used the upper portionof each length must be -placedwith V i the lower portion withwhich it was or g-inallyi connected, r iBeforeseparating the portions of t e lengths, certain of the designating marks numerals arranged in consecutive order, and in a depression, such that the highest-points of the letter are below the periphery of the whatever it may be, and preferably, though 66 not necessarily,-the series are arranged near that is near the dividthe point of fracture, 7

section of the ing line that separates the Before separating any length, certain of the numerals of each 7 section of the length are removedor-noticeably marred,- witha being raised above the "general level ofthe' plane surface, but not the 21st, and so on,

" manner. V

' separated into series, a $61 121]. letteraor other t i i ii faai la astethan desired manner. As for instance, with the first l gt the numer wo ld bench ppedlofi of the "upper section, and the same'numeral w would-be chipped ofi from the lower section. Withthe second length, the numeral 2 would be" chipped 0E from each 880M011,

vFrom the both upper and lower sections 7 third length the numerals 3; would 'be chipped etf dmtherwise removed from'both sections.

With the fourth length, the nu merals v 0 from both sections,- and the eleventh" iengar by" removing the numerals 0; the twelfthby removing 2' and O,

andjin su'ch manner by removing the sueneeding numeral and 0 from each "portion or length,-rern 'vi g 9' and 0 for the nine twenty seventh length--, or section? The twenty eighth length could be; marked by removing the nume-rals' 2 and: 3 and the sue c'eeding lengt Succeeding; combinations can be formed bythe numer-als 'of eachseriesQ', 8', 3, 4;- 4-,-5;-5,-6; 6, 7;7, 8; 8, 9; and in like lnadditiomthe lengths might be distinguishing mark being placed at -the be v ginningof thenume'ra lsor at the end, as for instance one series might be designated as A, and a second as B and'in'like manner,

4t wouldbe removed: *The tenth 'l'engthfw'ou ld be marked for: rdennfieaam' by rem 'vm teenth length. 'For-the-twentieth lelflgtll' l, I 2' and a rtight-be removed, 1, amid OCfor 1, 9' and 0 marking the 7 he in the same manner,-by ,re moving thefnuinerals- 2- and- 4, 1 2; and 5 and a so on.

When articles of' different sizeare in ques tion, the same marks or numerals mightybe removed from,. two= articles of different-size w thout causing any confusion.

apply in pipe conduits, to sections of dif- This would i ferent diameters or of different lengths. It

is obvious also; that the same combinations of distinguishing marks niight be removed from'articles of the same size, provided the 'severallotsfrom which the same [distin guishing "mark'wer'e' removed, were widely separated, or on widely: separated portions of 'the workl i In separablepipe conduits, on account'of trenchand the pipe is placed befOrethe up per section placed,',it is preferable toplace the ident fying'marks' on the inside of the lower) section, as; shown in Fig; 2. In this figure the conduit A" has its upper section provided with ,the depressed plane surface D on its'outer face, while the plane depressed surfacel) is on the inner face ofthe I Itis not essentialthat th or the art cles be: laid in any speci lower section; lengths the fact that thelowjersection is'laid' in the r fied position, but I'nerely' v thatthe portion's' I off each length; or article have. a f common identifying mark different from the" iden} tifying' marks" of all-bf" the otherlengthsor tirelyremove the identifying marks, since the said marks may be marred in a noticeable manner.

. It'will be understood that'the identifying marks may be formed on the articles in any desired manner, as for instance by a hand stamp, having a fiat plate provided with sunken numerals, or by a wheel having on its periphery sunken numerals. The invention consists in the provision of the identi-' fying marks in a depression, wherein the highest points of the identifying marks are below the general surface of the article.

WVhilethe invention is shown in connection with a length of conduit, it is obvious that it will be. equally applicable to any other article made in sections, wherein the sections were intended to be divided, and to be later reunited. The marks are made before the baking or hardening of the article,

when the material from which the articleis formed will receive an impression.

It will be obvious that while the method might be followed by providing raised marks, or depressions, not below the general level, the present method of forming the.

marks is preferable, for the reason that marks so arranged cannot easilybecome ac- .cidentally marred or broken.

- In Fig. 5 a portion ofa'die is shown, es pecially adapted for forming the marks on the green conduit sections or lengths. Fig. 6 is a cross section of the impression, The

. said die comprises a plate G having its cen tral portion raised, as shown at 9, above the level of the edge of the plate, and on the said raised portion depressions g are formed, the said depressions 1 being shaped to form the marks desired, as for instance letters in the, present instance. The depression forming each letter is a single depresshown,

sion, all of the parts communicating as and from each depression a plurality of vents 9 lead to the general level of the plate. The vents are of greatest depth and widthat the depression which forms the V mark, and they gradually decrease in depth and width to practically merge in the general level of'the plate. With this arrangement, raised marks are provided in the conduit length B, as shown in Fig. 6, the elevated characters E being above the general level of the depression D in which the letters or marks are arranged. The provision on to the conduit length,

the characters D1 to D0. Thus fifty of the vents prevents the trappingof air in mark.

' In Fig. 7 another arrangement of marks is shown, wherein both the letters of the alphabet and the numerals O to 9 are used. \Vith this arrangement a somewhat greater latitude or variety of arrangement is permitted. For instance, with the characters shown, the first length of conduit would be marked by breaking away or marring the numbers 1 and 1. be marked by breaking or marring the numerals 2 and 2, and in like manner until the lOthlength were reached, when the numerals 0 and 0 would be used. The second ten lengths would be identified by breaking away or marring characters A1 to A0, the

third ten by marring the characters B1 to 130, the fourth ten by the characters C1 to C0, and in like manner the fifth ten by using lengths would be marked, and in the arrangement shown 500 lengths might be properly identified, Without the necessity of using more than two digits in any one length. With the conduit composed of two feet sections, the arrangement described would identify 1000 feet'of conduit, without requiring the breaking away or marring of more than two digits on each length. The arrangement could then be repeated, since there would be but slight danger of confusion.

I claim:

The secondlength would 1. An identifying means for earthen articles composed of separable sections, comprising a depressed ground on each section, each ground having raised characters, the highest portions of the characters being below the surface of the article, and the arrangement of the characters on the sections of the same article being the same.

2. An identifying means for earthen articles composed of separable sections, comprising a depressed ground on each section, each ground having raised characters, and' the arrangement of the; characters on the sections of the same article being the same.

WILLIAM BEALL GRAY.

Conies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

